2011 FORMULA1 HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX
• BUDAPEST, 29TH – 31ST JULY 2011 •
• NICK: “The Hungaroring is one of my favourite circuits” • • Vitaly: “Car set-up is very important in Budapest” •
• Eric Boullier: “Make no mistake, we will try to give the LRGP fans something to cheer about” • • James Allison: “Like Monaco, the Hungaroring is all about qualifying” •
Q&A: Nick Heidfeld
Lotus Renault GP • Race Driver • Car 9
“The Hungaroring is one of my favourite circuits” Luck was not on Nick’s side at his home race, but he believes that now would be the perfect time to perform well as the August break approaches How was your home race in Germany?
“I know that a lot of Polish fans usually attend this race and we all support Robert, so it will be a little extra motivation for me.”
It wasn’t what I was aiming for, that’s for sure. Before the race I thought we could have scored good points. But, as early as the first lap, I had a coming together with Paul (Di Resta). I locked up the front wheels and couldn’t avoid hitting him. Then I was at the back of the field but I made up positions quickly. The pace in this phase was actually good, though it was clear that it would be a difficult race. I was up to 16th and I knew the pace wasn’t bad; you never know what can happen during the race. Then I came up behind Sébastien (Buemi), who covered the left hand side on the way into the chicane, which was perfectly fine. I turned right to overtake him and after that he turned right as well, pushing me into the grass. Unfortunately I then took off and had a crash. Luckily I was not hurt, but it was a disappointing end to a race I would love to have done well at.
Nevertheless, have you seen signs of improvement on the car since Silverstone? Yes, if you look at our result in Germany it was not great.
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However, if you observe the pace compared to Silverstone, where we qualified 14th and 16th, it is going in the right direction. At present, it just doesn’t feel good enough, but we are working relentlessly on it. What makes me optimistic is that lately we’ve seen significant progress in the wind tunnel. Now it’s just a question of getting parts onto the car quickly. I’m hopeful we can get a few additions onto the car this weekend, and I know that further afield, in Spa and Monza, we will have even greater upgrades.
Are you looking forward to Budapest?
Absolutely, it’s one of my favourite circuits. I enjoy driving there and seem to get on well each time I race there so I hope this weekend is no different. I’ve had two F1 podiums at the Hungaroring before, so I’ve got good memories from the place. Normally the conditions are pretty hot, but we’ve just had a quick look at the forecast and actually there is a chance of some rain! I also know that a lot of Polish fans usually attend this race, so it will be a little extra
motivation for me driving what was originally Robert’s car.
The circuit has few overtaking chances so qualifying could play a pivotal role again…
It could, and I’m sure it will. That said, the DRS should help a bit. It’s a very twisty, tight circuit with tarmac that normally gives the cars high grip so it’s good fun to drive and I’m looking forward to it.
What kind of result at the Hungaroring would give you satisfaction heading into the August break?
What’s most important is that we see ourselves moving in the right direction. Hopefully we will have some new parts, which will help get our pace up. We want to have a good result, especially before the August break because it would do a lot for our morale to go into the second half of the season on a high. But, if for whatever reason it doesn’t work out and I still know that we’re moving forward and our pace is good, then it wouldn’t be the end of the world. But, no two ways about it, we’re aiming high - we have to, because this is what we’re here for.
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Q&A: Vitaly Petrov
Lotus Renault GP • Race Driver • Car 10
“Car set-up is very important in Budapest” With a sole point in Germany, the Russian is looking to battle with the big guys again in Budapest
How was the German GP for you? Well, I scored another point but we should be finishing much higher up the points. We’ve said that time and again, but we brought good developments to the car last weekend, perhaps lacked a bit of luck and didn’t capitalise on our opportunities. What’s noticeable is there are other teams beginning to compete seriously with us, such as Force India and Sauber, so we need to take the initiative and make a significant step forward to stay ahead of these guys. We should be fighting for fourth spot in the Constructors’ Championship, and for that to happen we need to improve on our result in Germany. If you look specifically at the race, I probably didn’t pit early enough in order to fight with the group in front, and that lost me a few places so it was always going to be hard to be higher up the points.
Has the team started moving in the right direction since Silverstone, though? Yes, it was good that the exhaust situation that was causing a lot of discussion at Silverstone was resolved, but that alone is not enough to get us back where we should be. We need to be fighting with the teams in front because we are a top team. We brought some upgrades with us to Germany and there’s no doubt they helped, but we’re going to keep pushing forward to ensure we’re back where we should be.
Looking ahead to Hungary, where there are swathes of Russian fans, how do you like racing there?
It’s a great circuit and I’ve got good memories from my time there in GP2. I won my first race in Budapest, so it’s always great to come back. The atmosphere is great with a lot of fans watching so I’m always happy
to go back. And yes, there are lots of Russians in Budapest too, so I will be doing everything I can to give my team and them a good result.
What are your thoughts on the Hungaroring circuit?
It’s quite technical and you need the right setup to be successful there. There are just two high speed corners but the rest is more technical. Car set-up is very important in Budapest.
How can you summarise the first half of the season?
Well, we all remember that it started well. Then we had a significant drop a few races into the season and consequently lost a lot of points. We’ve had some challenges with our aero packages so we will be analysing that in the August break among other things. I remain confident our season will take an upturn in the second half of the year, that’s what we’re all pushing for.
“I remain confident our season will take an upturn in the second half of the year” 0 4 • H UNGAR I A N G P PR E V I EW • L OT US R ENAU LT GP
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Eric Boullier
Team Principal and Managing Director
A wORD WITH THE BOSS Germany – not the result the team was hoping for? No, it wasn’t the result we were looking for. We came to the Nürburgring with some developments to the car, which gave us higher hopes going into the weekend. Vitaly put in a determined drive, while lady luck did not favour Nick when we was working his way back up the field after falling back to 22nd position. It was another point gained for us, but really we were well below par, and it was not the weekend we expected it to be. It was not good enough, and at the Hungarian GP we will try and get back on track, although there will be no significant revisions to the car until after the summer break.
We now move to Hungary, a race that was introduced back in 1986 – how important is this fixture to the F1 calendar?
Yes, Hungary has been a big part of Formula One for 25 years now. It was a completely groundbreaking move to make it a race venue back in the mid1980s, and I think the decision to do so has been vindicated. It put F1 on the map, and behind the Iron Curtain for the first time; it has helped raise its profile in a part of Europe where the sport
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had not travelled. We know that when we get to Hungary there will be fans everywhere; the Hungarian people love their motorsport and we’re really looking forward to getting our campaign back on-track in front of a motor racing-mad crowd. Make no mistake, we will try to give the LRGP fans in Budapest something to cheer about this weekend, even if the podium looks a bit far from us at the moment.
It’s the final Grand Prix before the summer break – what are your expectations?
I’ve expected improvement from our car for a number of races now, and we are making improvement, but we have got to get our heads down and make bigger strides. It’s a competitive field out there, with Force India and Sauber also
competing in higher positions, so we’ve got to raise our game starting in Hungary.
We’re halfway through the season – what have you made of it, and what’s to come?
Well, I’ve made no secret of the fact that I’m not satisfied with where we are, no one in the team is. We started the season well, but that feels like a while ago now and we have to face the facts, which are that we’ve been off the pace and we are trying hard to put that right. We brought some developments to the car in Germany, which didn’t produce nearly enough so we are now all eyes forward to Hungary to ensure we have the opportunity to head on our summer breaks on a high.
“the Hungarian people love their motorsport and we’re really looking forward to getting our campaign back on-track in front of a motor racing-mad crowd” LO T US R ENAU LT G P • H U N GA R I A N G P P R E V I E W • 0 7
James Allison
Technical Director
“ Like Monaco, the Hungaroring is all about qualifying” With few overtaking opportunities available at the Hungaroring, James explains how qualifying will play a key role in the outcome in Budapest
What are the challenges of the Hungaroring?
lap, but the track evolution can be over 1sec/lap. The challenge is the same for all teams however.
our manufacturing capacity will have transferred to next year’s car.
We’re now in the second half of the season - what’s the development plan and how much resource and attention is paid to the R32?
The August break is soon upon us - how frustrating is it locking up the factory and will you be musing concepts and solutions in the bath during the break?
We were not too special at Monaco this year, another high downforce track, but I think we have resolved some of the issues that bedevilled us there and we are hopeful of a better outing in Hungary.
We have quite lot of improvements to deliver over the next five races. These developments are largely as a result of research work that is already complete, leaving us with the task of designing and manufacturing them for use in the races. By the time the summer break is complete, most of our factory research resource and around half of
The rules regarding not working during the FOTA shutdown are quite strict, but they have not closed off the bath musing loophole - two weeks of continuous bathing may be called for! The shutdown is a little frustrating in one sense, but it is a settled part of the sport now, and it allows the teams to take a well-earned break.
It is tough for race engineers and drivers alike. Setup changes normally yield results which are of the order of 0.1sec/
“Getting a good qualifying lap will involve having a car which has a good high downforce setup and is able to cope with some of the bumps around the track”
Like Monaco, the Hungaroring is all about qualifying. DRS will skew things a little, but it will remain very tough to overtake. Getting a good qualifying lap will involve having a car which has a good high downforce setup and is able to cope with some of the bumps around the track.
Should this be a circuit which suits the R31?
This is a track which traditionally sees a lot of surface evolution – how difficult is it working with a moving target?
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“It is tough for race engineers and drivers alike. Setup changes normally yield results which are of the order of 0.1 sec/lap, but the track evolution can be over 1 sec/lap”
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Hungary TECH TALK
TURN 1
Heavy braking from almost 300 kph to under 100 kph. The most likely overtaking opportunity on the circuit.
BUDAPEST A set-up guide 1. ENGINE
We are looking for non-peaky power delivery to facilitate traction out of the low-speed corners as well as good all round driveability.
TURN 5
Moderate braking from 240 kph to 150 kph.
TURNs 4-11 TURN 13
The second slowest corner on the circuit taken at around 100 kph.
Turns four to eleven very much lead into each other so there’s little braking here. You need a well-balanced car with good change of direction capabilities.
TURN 2
The track is downhill into turn two so there is potential for drivers to outbrake themselves into this corner.
2. BRAKES
There are relatively heavy braking demands heading into turn one as it is at the end of a comparatively long straight. From turns four to turn 10 the braking demands are very light, so drivers need good confidence in their braking systems as heavy use is relatively seldom over the course of a lap.
3. SUSPENSION
The circuit layout promotes understeer so you need a strong front end to prevent this. The car needs to ride the kerbs a lot at this track so a soft front end can assist.
2 3 4
1
6 5 5. TYRES
The soft and supersoft Pirelli P-Zeros are allocated. The circuit surface and layout is relatively kind to the tyres, however the high temperatures frequently experienced can cause the rubber other issues, such as blistering.
4. REAR WING
The rear wing configuration runs to maximum downforce levels.
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TURN 14
It’s crucial to get a good exit from the 3rd gear turn 14 as it leads onto the only straight, which, in turn, heads into the best overtaking opportunity into turn one.
The Hungoraring is a circuit where the surface grip level improves a lot over the course of a race weekend, which makes finding the correct set-up a challenge – has a lap time improvement come from a change to the car, or from the track surface improvement?
6. FRONT WING
Maximum downforce for the circuit layout and also designed to help counter understeer; we will run a new specification front wing to assist with this.
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HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX THE REST OF THE NEWS
WASHING WITHOUT WATER Known for the quality of its jeans range and unique faded clothing, this season Japan Rags has focused on sustainable development with the name JAPAN Rags ZERO It is not commonly known, but jean fading is not a good thing for the environment. The permanganate used to create this effect and the amount of water (100L/jean approximately) required are currently so far from most people’s ecological concerns even though jean consumption has doubled in the last 10 years!
Ticket to ride
Japan Rags have become one of the first to react in its attempts to lessen the impact on the environment. Using its new technique, Japan Rags is able to create the same products but with a whole new vision. This principle is a very simple one: ozone injected in a drum produces the same effect on the denim dye as the sun does; it creates discoloration and an impression of natural ageing throughout its range. Water is no longer needed to get a perfect fading.
On Friday, Bruno will make his first race weekend appearance for LRGP when he takes to the wheel during Free Practice 1. We find out how the Brazilian took the news when he heard he would be offered the chance to get into the R31
How does it work? This fading technology is revolutionising the jeans sector, but also the textile industry as a whole. It relies on a natural process of oxygen enrichment. A machine sucks in filtered air from the environment, and separates the essential components from the atmosphere, which purifies and enriches the oxygen (O2).
You’ve been with Lotus Renault GP almost six months now – have you settled in well?
The O2 molecule is converted into O3 (ozone) and the resulting ozone is injected into the drum that holds the jeans. The ozone naturally ages the jean fabric in the same way as sunlight does when bleaching it.
Well, it’s been a very good experience. This is the first big F1 team I’ve been involved with; I’ve been learning a lot technically from the drivers, engineers and the team. Every part of being inside a big F1 team has been a real learning curve for me. It feels like it’s been longer than six months because of the steep learning process, but I feel a real part of the team now. I hope I stay with LRGP a long time, and I hope I can give more to the team too.
conditions are perfect for me to jump into the car and help the team with its development work. I’m confident of getting up to speed quickly so I can have a good session on Friday. Hopefully, I can work effectively with the guys to ensure we get a good setup during the session, which Nick can then use when he takes over again in FP2.
How do you think it will feel to see your name up on the monitor?
Ozone fading is a natural non-polluting treatment, which considerably reduces the energy necessary to fade jeans.•
You are going to drive for the team in FP1 at the Hungaroring – what was your reaction when you heard the news?
Well, I hope it’s right up there with Vitaly, it would be great to have a good pace and rhythm alongside him because he sets a good benchmark. It will be good out there driving a black and gold Lotus Renault at the Hungaroring, so it will be a good feeling for me.
www.japan-rags.com
I was very, very happy. It’s not often you get an opportunity in such a big team like this and, of course, with the opportunity comes great pressure and a high demand because this is a team that is doing lots of work on a strong car this year. I feel like I’ve been inside the team long enough and I’ve participated on a lot of the technical side of things so the
For sure, now it’s a proper public test and everyone will be watching. It’s not going to be easy getting into the car, when other drivers have been out there for half a season doing it, but I think all the testing I’ve done
At the end of the fading cycle, the ozone is sucked out of the drum, remixed with the atmospheric components to become oxygen before being released into the air once again.
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You’ve tested for the team this year away from the race track, but this will be a different experience…
“I think all the testing I’ve done will stand me in good stead and it will help dust any cobwebs off!” will stand me in good stead and it will help dust any cobwebs off!
The Hungaroring is a challenging circuit – what’s your experience of it? I’ve driven there three times before; I drove there in GP2 twice (2007 and 2008). 2008 was a particularly good year there as I finished both races on the podium so that was quite satisfying. I also drove there with HRT last year in quite an undeveloped car, which was difficult, but with the R31 I’m sure we can do good things. I actually went there recently and drove in a Lotus Evora GT4 which was a lot of fun, so I’ve had some good recent experiences at the track and hopefully that can continue this weekend. LOT US R ENAU LT G P • H U NGAR I A N G P P R E V I E W • 13
HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX THE REST OF THE NEWS
BUDAPEST IN NUMBERS 3 50 80 300
This is the highest g-force the drivers experience in the lap at T4 for 1.5 seconds This is the number of gear changes per lap
In km/h, this is lowest apex speed at T1 In km/h, this is the top speed at the end of the start/finish straight
20 56.6 230 650
The percentage of the lap spent braking
FANATICAL!
At LRGP we just love our rock n’ roll, and on seeing this photo that one of our fanatics sent in we just couldn’t refuse it!
The percentage of the lap spent at full throttle
In km/h, this is the highest apex speed at T10 The longest distance, in metres, on full throttle along the start/finish straight
did you know?
Vitaly Petrov finished in fifth place at the Hungarian Grand Prix in 2010 – his best result of the season.
INTERVIEW: MARTIN BRUNDLE
RACING BEHIND THE IRON CURTAIN
WHERE CAN YOU FOLLOW US?
First impressions
On our website, to start with:
Heading to the Hungarian Grand Prix back in 1986 did feel a little bit like a step into the unknown. The first signal that it was going to be slightly different back then was when we tried to book a hire car, which didn’t prove easy unless you got in early. If you got in early you’d get a Lada, if you were later it would be a Trabant, otherwise you got nothing. It was just an emerging nation; the thing that first struck me about the Hungarian people was how proud they were and how passionate they were about motorsport as well. The hotels on the side of the Danube were of international standard. The fact that the ‘blue Danube’ was brown was the first thing that shocked me, but it was clearly a beautiful city with sensational buildings; it was clearly very historical. You noticed that shop windows didn’t have anything in them; menus in the hotels were very limited and it was pretty much the menu of the day which was just a menu of the day – the food that they had available.
Pace of change Budapest was quite basic back then; the road systems were quite undeveloped, Ferihegy Airport was pretty old fashioned shall we say – I think I went on Malev which was a Tupolev Russian plane, which they seemed to fly at the ground to land it! But, I often say with Hungary that if ever I’ve seen a nation change in a hurry it’s that one – coming out from behind the iron curtain the way it did. The way it
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One of the memories I have is back in ’86 standing on the grid, and the place was absolutely jam-packed. One of the highlights of the year was the police escort out of the circuit in the evenings which was the only way to get out of there in reasonable time -it was just ridiculously busy. I remember standing there on the grid and, because of the sporting bowl nature of the venue with people looking downwards to the track; I remember something in particular struck me. There were so many people looking down at the track but so little noise. You could tell that for a lot of people it was the first ever Grand Prix, first ever race they’d been to, and there was this great anticipation of what was going to happen next, that’s what I felt everywhere. Everybody was so quiet and just so focused.
Budapest and its people has developed so much and so fast is remarkable, it is now so cosmopolitan. Back then there were not so many cars on the road, they were blowing blue smoke out of the back. Nowadays, everyone’s got mobile phones and drives Mercedes and BMWs.
The fans There always seemed to be a hard core of Austrian fans – because it was easy for them to cross the border – and a big Finnish expat community there, which was interesting.
I always found Budapest and its people very friendly. I remember having dinner and sitting with some Hungarian people and I just found them very friendly, generous and very classy; they had an immense sense of pride too. We used to go out to traditional Hungarian restaurants to eat but now it’s more cosmopolitan, there’s more choice. There were always internationally-renowned hotels there, but just without the same luxuries that you’d have at other places in the world. We used to go out to the bars, and especially on the Sunday night there was always a big party so it was always the usual boys on tour stuff. •
www.lotusrenaultgp.com (English, French, German, Russian and Polish versions)
Nick and Vitaly’s
Guide to BUDAPEST
Describe Budapest in three words? Nick: Hot, technical, fun! Vitaly: Culture, museums, bridges!
On Twitter: twitter.com/OfficialLRGP On Facebook: Lotus-Renault-GP-The-Official Vitaly on Twitter: twitter.com/vitalypetrov10 Nick on Twitter: twitter.com/NickHeidfeld Bruno on Twitter: twitter.com/BSenna Romain on Twitter: twitter.com/Rgrosjean
Who’s who at LRGP ?
Favourite restaurants and bars? Nick: I don’t know the name but they have some good sweet wine called “Tokaji”. Vitaly: It’s become a very international city, so there’s a great variety of places to eat. What do you think of the track? Nick: I like it a lot. It’s probably the slowest circuit, and the closest to Monaco without the walls, and I always enjoyed racing there in Formula 3000 and, of course, since then in Formula One. Vitaly: A very technical track, an enjoyable track to drive but with a lot of slow corners so a strong set-up is always needed at the Hungoraring.
• Gerard Lopez Chairman • Eric Boullier Team Principal and Managing Director • Patrick Louis Chief Operating Officer • James Allison Technical Director • Naoki Tokunaga Deputy Technical Director • Martin Tolliday Chief Designer • Dirk de Beer Head of Aerodynamics • Steve Nielsen Sporting Director • Alan Permane Chief Race Engineer • Gavin Hudson Chief Mechanic • Jean-Marc Bories Chief Marketing Officer • Stephen Curnow Chief Commercial Officer • Stephane Samson Head of Communications
Best memory of Budapest? Nick: Winning my Formula 3000 Championship. Vitaly: I have good memories from last year and when I raced in GP2 series too.
TRACKSIDE Hospitality • The girls in our hospitality who will look after our guests are Simona, Adriana and Daniela • Catering: Massimilian, Riccardo and Simoneto
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Gallery
More images available online: www.lotusrenaultgp.com
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And Finally…
Media Contacts
Cirebox
Team Principal and Managing Director
Lotus Renault GP Press Office Address Lotus Renault GP Whiteways Technical Centre Enstone Oxfordshire OX7 4EE UK Telephone
+44 (0) 1608 678 000
Facsimile
+44 (0) 1608 678 609
Email pressoffice@lotusrenaultgp.com
Media contacts Stephane Samson, Head of Communications +44 (0) 7827 307 185 stephane.samson@lotusrenaultgp.com Ben Nichols, Press Officer +44 (0) 7748 920 072 ben.nichols@lotusrenaultgp.com Andy Stobart, Press Officer +44 (0) 7703 366 151 andy.stobart@lotusrenaultgp.com Website lotusrenaultgp.com Facebook facebook.com/pages/Lotus-Renault-GP-The-Official Twitter twitter.com/OfficialLRGP
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